The Day of the Lord begins when the Lord Jesus - the lamb Who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 5:6) who is the only One worthy - takes the scroll of inheritance - by which He inherits the nations (Dan 7:14; Psalm 2:7-9; Rev 11:15) - from Father's hand and begin to open it (Rev Ch 5, 6:1). Once He opens the scroll (Ch 6:1), He will begin preparing the rulers and people of the nations - through His people and prophets (Mt 24:14; Rev Ch 11, 14) - for His return as King of kings (Rev Ch 19, Mt Ch 24:30-31) and call them to submit under His rule (Rev 12:5). But they will rage against Him (Psalm 2:1-3; Rev Ch 12, 13, 16, 19), killing His people (Rev 6:9-11, 7:9-17; Mt 24:9-13) and so He will increase the volume with escalating judgments. He will speak to them in His wrath, and terrify them in His fury (Ps 2:5). And in the end, He will come. But it all begins with the opening of the first seal in Rev 6:1-2.
Re 6:1–2 | Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
This is the first of 21 judgment events that form the backbone of the end times drama in Rev Ch 6-19. And this is the beginning of the final generation of this age because once this Seal is broken, the rest of the end times drama - culminating in Christ's second coming, Armageddon, and the beginning of the Kingdom of Christ on earth - will unfold in a single generation.
How do we know that?
Because of Matthew Ch 24. Matt 24:4-31 parallels Rev Ch 6-19 culminating in the return of Christ, and Mt 24:4-11 parallels the first 5 seals in Rev Ch 6, as we can see below, especially by focusing on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th seals:
Now Mt 24 is Jesus' answer to the disciples question: 'when will [the temple be destroyed], and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?' Jesus replies by describing the signs preceding His coming in Mt 24:4-29 and then He says 'when you see all these things, you know that He is near… [that]* generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place' (Mt 24:33-34)
(SIDEBAR: translations typically render this word 'this'; but there are several plausible translations of the word and 'that' is most likely intended.)
So in summary, once 'all these things' begin with the coming of the Rider on the white horse / 1st Seal judgment in Rev Ch 6 - the rest of the end times drama will unfold in a single generation.
Who is this Rider on the white horse and what are the implications of his coming?
There are 2 main theories held by those of like interpretation on the book of Revelation (futurist / pre-millennial).
THEORY 1: It's Jesus. He is the rider on the white horse, as we clearly see in Rev 19. So this 1st seal presents Jesus at a different time, with a different objective: the spread of the gospel to conquer the hearts of mankind during the coming tribulation period, before His coming.
THEORY 2: It's the Antichrist, the imitation of Christ / comes in the pattern ('type') of Christ, pretending to be Christ.
Even though Theory 1 has the strength of being in fact accurate about the fact that Jesus will send the gospel to the nations in power at this time, that is a different matter to whether or not this text means to say that! Theory 1 is weak for a few reasons:
How can Jesus the Lamb open the seal, resulting in Jesus the rider then going forth?
It seems even more strange for Jesus the Lamb to open the seal in heaven, leading to Jesus the Rider going forth to the earth, after which Jesus the Lamb (now back in heaven) opens the next seal!
The nature of the other seal judgments and in fact all 21 of the judgment events (evil forces releasing great suffering on the earth) is in contradiction to the nature of Jesus taking the gospel of mercy and salvation to the world in power.
Theory 2 - the white horse rider as Antichrist - seems the more natural interpretation of the text, in context to the broader chapter and book:
The evil and ominous nature of Antichrist riding forth is consistent with the evil and ominous nature of all the other Seal judgments, and in fact the Trumpet and Bowl judgments too.
Juxtaposing Christ the Lamb in CH 5 who is worthy, with Antichrist in Ch 6 who takes by force, is consistent with the pattern throughout Revelation of juxtaposing in adjacent passages the main Types and Antitypes, being Antichrist and Christ (Rev 12-13, Rev 14; Rev 5, 6; Rev 16, 19), earthdwellers and God's people (Ch 6, 7; Ch 13, 14) the Harlot and the Bride (Rev 17 - 18, 19), Babylon and New Jerusalem (Rev 16-19, Rev 20-22).
The imagery is then consistent with what we know to be true: that Christ returns to the earth at the end of the Tribulation, not the start.
So then, this white horse rider is the going forth of Antichrist to the earth. Prior to that point, Satan cannot release the 'man of sin' - the 'son of perdition', the 'son of destruction', the man who is the complete opposite of Christ, being the child of the devil, fully possessed by pure evil, animated by the fullness of Satans wicked power - because God (through which direct agency, we know not) restrains him from doing so until the time is right (2 Thes 2:6-7) when Christ opens the first seal and finally the angel of God releases him with the command 'Come'.
The identity of this Antichrist:
"The word “antichrist” comes from two Greek words christos meaning “Christ” or the “anointed one”; and anti meaning in this combination “against”; thus, “the one against Christ, God’s anointed.” The name “antichrist” is found only in John’s epistles (1 Jn. 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 7), where he is described as one coming in the last time, and one whose spirit is already present in the world. The spirit of antichrist is constantly at work in the world, but will be embodied and fully manifest in the “beast” described in Revelation 13:1; 11:7.
The first prophetic reference to Antichrist is probably found in Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between THY SEED and HER SEED.…” Christ is the SEED of woman. Antichrist is the SEED of Satan or the “Devil,” whose name means “slanderer,” who speaks against Christ and against His Redeemed.
The spirit of antichrist has possessed many enemies of God through the ages, such as “the kings of Babylon,” a type of Satan (Is. 14:4–17).
Many anti-christian rulers and evil men of power have been identified as the “Antichrist” through history, such as: Nero, Napoleon, Kaisar Wilhelm, Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, etc. Some of these were no doubt motivated by the spirit of antichrist,
The spirit of antichrist will continue to possess any vehicle yielded to Satan.
but THE Antichrist is yet to come. He may be somewhere in the world already"… but he will not be revealed until [God's time], so it is futile to try to identify him. [1]
Antichrist's description in scripture:
Several passages of scripture describe this fiend. When we put these passages together, we generate a vague mosaic of his career, and a very clear picture of his character and fate.
"1. The Beast—Rv. 13:1–4, 12–18; 15:2; 16:2; 17:8; 19:19; 20:4, 10.
2. The Little Horn—Dn. 7:8; 8:9. - He shall rise up from among rulers of the revived Roman Empire. The “little horn” of Daniel 8:9 is Antiochus Epiphanes (170 B.C.), the Syrian ruler who persecuted the Jews and defiled the Temple in the time of the Maccabees (Macc. 1:10–47); therefore, he is a type of Antichrist.
3. The Man of Sin—2 Thes. 2:3. - He will be history’s vilest embodiment of sin and rebellion.
4. The Son of Perdition—2 Thes. 2:3.- Another title of the Man of Sin. Satan’s tool to seduce men and consign them to the realm of the lost.
5. The Wicked One—2 Thes. 2:8. - “Wicked” is from the Greek, anomos, which means the “lawless one.” He totally opposes every law of God.
6. The Willful King—Dn. 11:36–45. - Jesus prayed, “Not my will but thine be done”; the Antichrist will oppose God’s Will and do his own will; he is the inspirer of all those who “do their own thing.”
7. The Foolish Shepherd—Zec. 11:15–17. - Jesus is the Good Shepherd who preserves; Antichrist is the worthless shepherd who devours." [1]
What happens when the Rider on the white horse goes forth?
Scripture shows us 3 main sets of things about what happens when He opens the first seal.
1. Rev Ch6:1-2:
Re 6:1–2 | Now I watched when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, “Come!” And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.
False Christ - he imitates and probably pretends to be the ultimate Victor on a white horse who will truly conquer and bring all under His rule (Christ).
Ambitious & impressive - He has a victor's crown, not a royal crown. He will obtain by his efforts and recognition of his achievements from the world's leaders (i.e. not by divine birth right) the 'kingdom' he rules
Conquest - he goes forth conquering (action) and to conquer (motive). His goal and efforts are to subdue the entire earth under his rule
Warfare - He goes forth with a bow, armed and equipped for battle, not peace.
2. Mt 24:4-6:
At the same time, Jesus tells us in the parallel description of the signs and events of those days in Mt 24: 4-5
“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray.
Deception - this will be a time characterised by great deception on the earth
False Christs - one of the hallmarks of the time will be many false Messiahs proclaiming to be Jesus Christ
False churches - They will have large followings of those they have deceived
3. Dan Ch 7, 8, 11:21-23 Antichrist will
Emerge from obscurity,... i.e. not a position of monarchial or governmental prominence) ('royal majesty has not been given', and 'shall come in without warning' - Dan 11:21)
...And take power suddenly... ('shall come in without warning' - Dan 11:21)
...Through extraordinary political genius and an unprecedented campaign of deception and manipulation... ('one who understands riddles' - Da 8:23; 'by his cunning he shall make deceit prosper' - Dan 8:25; without warning [he shall] obtain the kingdom by flatteries' - Dan 11:21)
...Most likely incorporating the promise of global peace, security and prosperity ('by peace [he] shall destroy many' Da 8:25 - KJV, where peace also includes the idea of prosperity; 'while they are crying "peace and security" - 1 Thes 5:1-3).
CONCLUSION
In summary, the opening of the 1st Seal will commence a time characterized by: (1) A global campaign of deception, including hollow promises of worldwide peace, security, and prosperity... (2)... designed to mask a covert agenda by Antichrist and his followers to subjugate the world under a new global antichrist empire...; (3) These things will coincide with the rise of Messiah claims by false Christs.
It is most likely that the Antichrist will be hidden in the background at first, biding his time yet actively and successfully busy with the conquest / takeover of the world through a master strategy of elaborate, deceptive schemes that bring false hope of peace, security and shared prosperity to the world, through which he will gain recognition by the leaders of the world.
I am sure you've begun to sense an uncanny resemblance of this 'White Horse' phase of 'conquest by deception' with current world events. More on that in the next posts…
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